Parolee accused of sexually assaulting runaway enters plea

RIVERSIDE – A parolee accused of abducting and repeatedly sexually assaulting a runaway girl in Riverside pleaded not guilty today to felony charges.

Eric Dean Boettcher, 34, of Jurupa Valley was arrested last month for allegedly committing sex acts on an 11-year-old child.

Boettcher is charged with four counts of lewd acts on a victim under 14, and one count each of kidnapping a minor to commit a sexual assault, supplying illegal drugs to an underage victim and possession of child pornography.

He’s additionally facing numerous sentence-enhancing allegations, including inflicting bodily harm on a minor and abducting a victim with the intent to commit a sexual offense.

Boettcher appeared before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Helios Hernandez, who scheduled a felony settlement conference in the case for May 9 and left the defendant’s bail set at $2 million.

Boettcher is being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

On Valentine’s Day, the 11-year-old ran away from home and was picked up minutes later by Boettcher, who stopped his gray pickup truck and convinced the youth to ride with him, said police Lt. Victor Williams.

”The suspect subsequently took the juvenile to an uninhabited area and sexually assaulted her,” Williams said. ”The victim was then driven around the Riverside area and eventually taken to a motel in Corona, where she was given drugs and sexually assaulted.”

On Feb. 16, Boettcher drove the girl to a deserted parking lot and let her out, after which the victim walked to a nearby police station and revealed what had happened, according to Williams.

Detectives with the police department’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse unit initiated an investigation that pointed to Boettcher as the perpetrator, Williams said.

The defendant was located on Bain Street in Jurupa Valley, where he was arrested without incident.

According to court records, Boettcher has prior felony convictions for grand theft, stalking and illegal possession of a controlled substance.